1. Technical Field
The invention relates generally to mounting skids for machinery such as engines, tanks and pumps. More specifically, the invention relates to a modular skid assembly particularly adapted for equipment used for pumping cement slurries and other well treatment fluids.
2. Description of Related Art
Many kinds of machinery skids have been developed over the years for supporting related machinery components. A principal feature of such skids has been a modular or sectional construction which permits the skid to be broken down (disassembled) into a plurality of longitudinal sections for easy transportation of relocation. Originally, skids were constructed with longitudinal support members around and along the perimeter of the skid, which made maintenance of the machinery difficult. More recently, skids have been designed with longitudinal support members located inboard so that much of the machinery is accessible without interference from the skid itself. One such type of skid is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,158,510 issued to Smith et al.
The prior known skids have substantial drawbacks which limit and diminish their overall utility and efficiency. One problem is that several major pieces of machinery, such as engines or pumps, are constructed on a common longitudinal section of the skid. Repair efforts on such skids are hampered because of the close proximity of numerous pieces of other hardware which limit accessibility. Thus, the entire skid must usually be disassembled and a substantial amount of hardware removed even though only one piece of machinery needs repair or replacement. While these skids can be broken down into longitudinal sections, the sections remain substantial in size and weight and difficult to separate because of the substantial number of bolts or similar means for holding the overall skid frame together. These difficulties substantially increase the time and labor required to assemble, disassemble, and use the prior known skids, which, in turn, increase costs and decrease efficiency.